Another valued college basketball rivalry is on the verge of being thrown away.

Thanks to Memphis coach Josh Pastner, Friday night’s Memphis-Tennessee game might well be the last ever matchup of these intrastate rivals. It’ll join such great non-games as Kansas-Missouri, Georgetown-Maryland, Texas-Texas A&M, Indiana-Kentucky and Pitt-West Virginia.

Some of the old rivals killed games because of bitterness over conference realignment (KU-Mizzou, Pitt-West Virginia, Texas-Texas A&M) or because the coaches couldn’t agree on a venue (UK-IU) or simple cowardice (Georgetown-Maryland).

Memphis-Tennessee is on the firing line because of Pastner’s insecurity. He thinks it helps the Vols recruit in his fertile backyard.

"If it's up to me, the only way we'll play them is if we're playing them in a tournament," Pastner said Thursday.

Former Memphis athletics director R.C. Johnson had mandated that the Tennessee-Memphis game be played over Pastner’s objections. But Johnson’s successor, Tom Bowen, had told Pastner that he’d end the series but now is waffling.

"It's nothing about Tennessee, it's no shot at them, it's nothing. It's just our fan base wants to play Louisville every single year."

Really? Thirty-one slots to fill and room for only one meaningful rival?

“The series is over,” Pastner said. Or so he hopes.

Pastner expanded on his comments Thursday evening by saying he and Bowen have agreed to re-evaluate the situation once the current contract expires.

"No door is opened and no door is closed," Pastner said.

So after Friday’s game at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2), that might be it for Tigers-Vols. Tennessee leads the series 14-10.

"I think (the series) should continue," said Tennessee star Jarnell Stokes, a Memphis native. "Guys like me grew up watching the Memphis-Tennessee series. I'd be devastated if they chose to cancel it."